Penn State Turn Around Time?

What sort of turn around time is normal with Penn State orders? I'm not making a complaint, just an impatient question.

I ordered a set of chisels (the 8 piece HSS set) about a week ago and they don't seem to have shipped yet. I've gotten pretty spoiled with Amazon and the like and wanted to know how far to adjust my time expectations.

It doesn't seem so long ago that the standard for mail order turn-around was 6-8 weeks, and here I'm getting restless after 7 days. sigh.

But, but, but, . . . the garage is above freezing and the lathe still hasn't been used yet (just fondled occasionally over the last

3 months). I want to damage some wood soon!
Reply to
Drew Lawson
Loading thread data ...

You have to be careful with PSI and make sure that any of your items don't have an "OUT OF STOCK" flag on them.. They'll hold up an entire shipment if 1 item is out and stock and expected soon..

I'm in Mexico and usually get orders from them in a week or so, if all items are available..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

Hello Drew, I ordered some slimline penkits and some pen blanks on 15 Feb (Fri) and received them on 20 Feb.(Wed). One thing that can happen is if the products you ordered are not in stock, there will certainly be a delay in shipping. I am currently waiting for some items from Packard. Usually when I order online, I receive 2 emails within 24 hours. One informing me of my order and a second email with a tracking number. When I did not receive the 2d email from Packard, I called a day or two later and was told the products had been on backorder but were going out that day. Today I come in and check email and the goodies are in town and 'out for delivery'.

FYI, if you have ANY smidgen of a desire to order from Steebar, refrain. Why, see my email of March 3rd on this group.

Reply to
Kevin

Chill out. Start wondering AFTER 3 weeks.

Reply to
Phisherman

I have had great luck with PS, and if you have a question, just call. I call to make sure the order is shipped and that they didn't have faulty stock information on the computer when they took my order.

They can usually tell you exactly where in are in the process.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

PSI is usually pretty good. I get stuff in a week no more than 10 days. That being said, I usually order pen kits not turning tools. I get all my turning tools from rockler, I like the Robert Sorby brand. Randy

formatting link

Reply to
randyswoodshoop

Patience? That's so 20th century.

As it turns out, I have more than enough on the to-do list for this weekend that I probably wouldn't have found (much) time for the lathe. And my chisel honing guide just came from Lee Valley. Given my skill level and the condition of my abused blades (bench chisels shouldn't look serrated?), that should keep me busy for a bit.

I just wish their site had an *order* tracking page rather than a shipment tracking page. That would let me fidget without bothering whoever is answering their phones.

Reply to
Drew Lawson

Especially if you try to hone the mess away! Could take days.

It's a great item, BTW. I leave it set and tune up chisels when I'm mortising, for example, if they seem to be losing it.

Reply to
George

Then again, sometimes systems just burp and lose the shipping email. The chisels were waiting on my doorstep when I got home.

Now, what was I saying about a to-do list an not having time? Can't quite recall.

Reply to
Drew Lawson

I could have sworn that I picked up a course stone along with the waterstone set that I've been ignoring, but I don't see it (at least where it should be). Starting at 800 would probably tell me how patient I can be.

Or I could wander by Woodcraft tomorrow. One more punch and my discount card is full. (That could be dangerous.)

Reply to
Drew Lawson

Couldn't resist. Used the chisels straight from the shipping box (setting up the jig on the grinder is one of the to-do items). Turned a square thing into a round thing with some hideous beads. The tearout was terrible, but it was a lot of fun.

Now I need to resume my reading to tell me how I should have been doing what I tried.

And my shoulders say that I need to adjust the height of the lathe. But then, a little knowing what I'm doing might reduce the clenched muscles as well.

Reply to
Drew Lawson

Drew.. Depends some on your height, assuming that the lathe is about "standard" height...

I'm about 6', I guess, used to be 6' 2" before gravity took hold.. *g*

I raised my lathe about 2" and like it there..

Other factors can be tool rest height and the angle that the chisel is contacting the wood at...

Sharp tools, which you'll have soon, and a light touch take a lot of the stress and tension out of turning and with a little experience you'll find that a death grip on the handle isn't needed...

I always suggest that before you "make" something on the lathe, play with it.. Throw a 2x2" or something between centers and make shavings... Get a feel for the tools and what they can and can't do..

If I had it to do over again, I would get books/DVD's/whatever and learn the basics correctly... Being self taught, I had a lot of re-learning to do when I finally got a few DVD's and lots of advice from this group..

Wear eye protection, avoid excess dust and most of all, relax and have fun..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

It's a Jet mini currently on a workmate clone. I'll build a stand after I get the height figured out (and get the to-do list shortened). I *think* it is centered around elbow height, but I need to double check.

One issue is that I'm figuring out the position and distance. I started out thinking that things were beyond my "need reading glasses" range. Later, when I grabbed those, I think I unclenched a little.

That's something that I was noticing made a big difference, while trying to remember where people said that they set things.

I kept trying to remind myself of that. It's a tough habit to unlearn. Back in school, I was one of those who held pencils so tightly that I got calluses.

That's what I'm trying. I don't think I could quite handle ruining something at this point in the process. It might discourage getting back on that horse.

My main interest is bowls, but I'm starting with centers work. Among other things, that way I'm less worried about things coming loose.

I need to make a Woodcraft run this weekend, and I'll probably look at what they have for DVDs onhand. I've already watched some youtube clips that someone (Charlie?) recently posted to rec.woodworking, and I realized that the visuals helped a lot on angles and motions. Time for another wander through Darrell's site as well.

Face shield, check. Fun, check. Working on that "relax" thing. I have a mental note made for dust, but figure it'll wait until I have something worth sanding (or harder wood that I've tried yet).

Reply to
Drew Lawson

the height figured out (and get the to-do list shortened).

Ok.. when I was using the mini on my workmate, it was way too low... I put it on a couple of 4x4's and it seemed about right..

thinking that things were beyond my "need reading glasses" range.

Could be.. my glasses are for distance, but I think my brother wears his reading glasses when he turns... If you haven't got a pair, they sell "over the glasses" safety glasses..

contacting the wood at...

remember where people said that they set things.

I think most folks set their tool rest lower than they need to, which makes the turning position uncomfortable to all but the vertically challenged..

in school, I was one of those who held pencils so

And you're taught to hold on to stuff because it could get ripped out of your hand, or something... On the lathe, assuming proper tool rest use, the force is keeping the tool ON the rest, not prying it off..

at this point in the process. It might discourage getting back on that horse.

Good for you! I've taught several people including 3 of my kids, and very few will PLAY to learn... They all want to turn a bowl or candle stick the first time... Anyone ever build a nice china cabinet as their first woodworking try?

When you play, you relax, which is important training.. and you try things that you'd not do if it was expensive wood...

I pretty much started with face plate turning and it was a big mistake.. I wish I would have known that at the time..

To do bowls, goblets, etc., you need to have spindle turning skills..

I also suggest that folks starting out consider doing pens... As a "bowl turner", I refused to consider pens until my wife bought me so much pen turning stuff one Valentine's Day that I had to do some..

Lots of bandsaw, drill press and bench work before turning, 10 minutes of turning, lots of sanding and finishing, then assembly.. Freaking boring.. WRONG.. I not only enjoyed the experience, but now pens have become my most common sale..

The important thing for me, though, was that pens MADE me pay attention to sharp tools, light cuts, LOTS of sanding, etc... I was amazed at how much better my bowl turning was after 20 or 40 pens! (they're like popcorn)

Not an ad, but I would really recommend Bill Grumbine's Basic Bowl Turning DVD.. It's inexpensive and I wish I had found something like that 20 years ago... Hell, I watched a little of the DVD and found that I had been holding the chisel wrong for years! If they don't have it at Woodcraft, you can get it from Bill:

formatting link
( under Video)

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

In message , mac davis writes

For me I have set my lathe up for morning work, as I am 6ft in the morning and 5' 11" by the evening. :)

In my case I have actually raised my lathe by 7inches, and have found it very comfortable, but that suits my rest height and tool angle

For me the death grip was when I first started and was using a large roughing gouge, obviously I look back and realise this was due to incorrect angle, and laziness in not reducing the distance between rest and work piece as often as I should, and the length of the handle. Using a long handled bowl gouge taught me, lighter cuts, and better lighter grip. After about a week of death grip with numb thumb, I found where I was going wrong :)

Reply to
John

the height figured out

When I checked, it turned out that I had it lower than I believed. I pulled it up about 1.5", but I haven't had a chance to run it at that height. (I'm supposed to be building a closet.)

Funny thing about elbows, they move around and don't always cooperate with measuring.

I was thinking that I wouldn't be interested because they are so small. But when the chisels showed up, the only thing I could find to mount quickly ended up about 1" when round. After trying some things on that, small didn't seem like such a bad thing.

I saw that one, but before you posted. Maybe next trip. I picked up two Raffan DVDs -- Wood Turning and Turning Projects. I watched the first one (which he kept calling a "tape") mostly straight through. I kept flipping between delight at what he was doing and horror that he was turning that *entire* chunk of wood into shavings and a throw away nub.

I definitely need to track down better (larger) sources of wood than the occasional random rode-side discovery.

Reply to
Drew Lawson

Well, ya need closet rods, right?

Yep.. I sure wish I'd of paid attention to my mom, all those years that she nagged me about standing up straight..

No, and they, like most things on a lathe, make great gifts... "Buy a lathe, never buy another gift"

I find that with Bill's DVD's, (I have the basic and advanced bowl ones), I like to keep it handy for reference, kind of like flipping to a section in a book to look at a "how to" picture.. I pulled the 13" TV/DVD player out of the RV and use it on a shelf over the work bench.. Same with the sharpening DVD from the AAW...

You have to practice, and it isn't the same on plastic.. ;-] What I really like about DVD's is the "freeze frame" thing.. I'll be thinking something like "that's an impossible cut, how the hell did he do that?" and go back frame by frame and watch his chisel position, hands, direction the shavings are going, etc..

Don't know what area you're in?

When I lived in California, we had access to mostly pine, but in big qualities... For $60 a year you can harvest up to 6 cords of fallen wood in the national parks.. Here in Baja, wood is hard to come by and green wood impossible..

You'll find that after you've given a few folks gifts and the word spreads that you're a turner, folks will show up at your shop with wood or news of trees being cut down.. When someone brings wood, I make sure that they get a gift of one of the things that I made out of "their" wood... You'd be amazed at how far that little courtesy goes towards they and their friends bringing more wood..

I'm living in the middle of a desert and have probably a years worth of wood stockpiled, mostly from folks bringing wood from the States when they come down..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

I'm getting to that point as well (46, but the joints are about a decade past that). And, given the desk job, I wish I were more comfortable sitting up straight.

Kept telling myself that. With a large woodpile, I'm sure it will feel better.

Dayton, Ohio (right next door, really).

One complication at the moment is that we are right by a county line, but the next county is under an Emerald Ash Borer quarentene. So it's illegal to bring the wood from there in. Still, where I actually live is fair game. Spring has thawed and there is bound to be some cutting going on somewhere.

I have a small stack of sycamore that apparently was blocking a bike trail. Some of it was clearly dead before it fell, but I think some of it is solid. And there is a small load of large pieces of (I think) honey locust (from the side of a highway) that apparently were left behind as too large for the fireplace.

That reminds me. I need to add "sharpen chainsaw" to the task list.

I haven't yet checked on the suggestion from Darrell's site about calling a tree service and buying a load of green wood. If I can do that, then I'll worry less about practicing on a small woodpile.

For now, I grabbed some poplar 2x2s while I was getting framing lumber. At least it is a known quantity.

Reply to
Drew Lawson

ahh... Shopsmith country! (or, it was in 1980 when I bought mine)

Two good sources for me when I lived in the States were the city and county maintenance services.. I started out by following them around and asking for tree pieces before they chipped them up and after a while they were calling me if they were going out to take down or haul away a tree.. Again, a gift or 2, in this case pens, goes a long way..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

Building's still there, but looked to be for lease last time I saw. I've been wondering what the story is, since their domain registration still has that address but their website is very careful to not show a mailing address. I haven't been curious enough to actually pull off the highway and look for signs of life.

My Dad has a shopsmith, bought somewhere around 1978. Having that in the garage (though I never used it) was my intro to the idea that this woodshop stuff could also be done at home.

Reply to
Drew Lawson

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.